Women's History Month 2022 — Technician 3/3/22

TECHNICIAN MA RC H 3, 2022

VOL . 102 | NO. 22

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH See page 8

Contents

2 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

WHAT YOU MISSED:

IN THIS ISSUE: page

Women’s Center,

05 Counseling Center

A quick look at the headlines in and outside of NC State

partener to promote mental health

NC State to make masks optional in classes on March 7 NC State announced further updates to its health and safety requirements on Feb. 28, making masks optional in classrooms and teaching labs beginning March 7. No college, department or employee can require mask wearing, according to the University.

On Feb. 28, masks became optional in most indoor spaces other than instructional settings.

NEWS page

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NC State’s focus on STEM majors neglects other degree programs

SOURCE: TECHNICIAN

Del Taco is coming to North Carolina The second-largest Mexican fast food chain is opening five locations in the Raleigh-Durham area. The company has not yet announced when the restaurants are set to open. Del Taco offers a variety of Mexican and American cuisine like burritos, tacos and burgers.

OPINION page

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SOURCE: FOX 8

Poet Ina Cariño explores ancestry in diasporas

Virginia woman finds 70-year-old love letters in attic Anna Prillaman found two boxes of love letters in a hidden compartment of her attic dating back to the ‘50s. They were from a man named Vance to the woman who would eventually become his wife, Betty Sue, while he was serving in the Navy. Prillaman was able to deliver them to the couple’s grandson, who had no knowledge of the letters and was very excited to receive them.

CULTURE

SOURCE: UNITED INTERNATIONAL PRESS page

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For the love of the game: Emily Petersen blazes trail for NC State women’s hockey

Ukrainian refugees flee following Russian invasion At least 670,000 refugees have fled Ukraine following the invasion of Russia, most of them women and children. Poland has taken in the most refugees, over 377,000, with other countries taking in many as well including Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova.

SPORTS

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News Editor Avery Davis

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Events to keep an eye on for the week of March 3

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION Tuesday, March 8, 1:30-4 p.m.

TALLEY STUDENT UNION Free In conjunction with Women’s HERstory Month and International Women’s Day, the Women’s Center will be celebrating its 30th anniversary with a Jeopardy!-style game in Talley. Bring a couple of friends along to win some cool prizes.

SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF COLOR 201 Wednesday, March 9, 6-7 p.m.

TALLEY STUDENT UNION Free In this brand-new workshop from the Women’s Center, participants will learn more about and discuss interpersonal violence for BIPOC in a historical and intersectional context.

MY BODY MY RHYTHM Monday, March 21, 6-7:30 p.m.

TALLEY STUDENT UNION Free Kick back and relax with a celebration of body positivity and creativity from the Women’s Center. Participants will read “My Body is Cool,” a dynamic children’s book, then create a poem based on the story’s content.

CONFIDENCE IS YOUR SUPERPOWER WORKSHOP Wednesday, March 23, 5:30-7 p.m.

SOURCE: BBC

Editor-in-Chief Jaylan Harrington

THE RADAR

Culture Editor Sam Overton

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Opinion Editor Shilpa Giri

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technician-sports@ncsu.edu

Assistant Sports Editors Wade Bowman Bryan Pyrtle Photo Editor Mollie Mitchell

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Video Editor Chloe Allen

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Brand Manager Jonny Grigg technician-marketing@ncsu.edu

WELLREC CENTER Free The Women’s Center and the Career Development Center will be teaming up to bring out the confidence in everybody at this interactive workshop. By employing role-playing, story-telling and community-building activities, attendees will have the opportunity to learn to use their confidence in a way they’ve never considered before.

Technician (USPS 455-050) is the largest student newspaper of NC State University and is published every Thursday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods.

Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on the Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists. As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by Triangle Web Printing, Durham, NC, Copyright 2022 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

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News

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

Women’s Center, Counseling Center partner to promote mental health

Emily Vespa Staff Writer

In a collaborative effort to promote student well-being and mental health awareness, the Women’s Center and the Counseling Center have partnered to create a semimonthly drop-in healing space event, called Healing with Purpose, for students to relax, relate and release.

Bri Elum, the assistant director for the Women’s Center, said Healing with Purpose is aimed to help students become more self-aware about their mental health needs.

“I really like to have conversations with students about being intentional,” Elum said. “When we think about healing with purpose, how do we heal and take care of our mental well-being based on our five senses?”

Haley Foard, a third-year studying computer science, said supporting mental health is important to guide students through the transition to college.

“For a lot of people, coming to college is losing what they know as their normal support system, whether that’s your family or your friends from home,” Foard said. “Some people are moving from really far away, like international locations, so I think creating a support system for students is really important because you’re losing a lot of that by coming to college.”

Elum said the event will offer a variety of healing strategies, such as coloring and

engaging in private conversations with a counselor from the Counseling Center. She said this partnership will raise awareness about mental health resources on campus.

“I think it’s super important to shed light on the Counseling Center,” Elum said. “The great work that they do is very instrumental to this campus.”

Elum said students who attend the Healing with Purpose event will also be able to

tal health.

“I think building a community here is important, whether that’s making friends or going to clubs,” Foard said. “There’s lots of different ways to support your mental health, but I think finding a community is one of the most important ways.”

According to Elum, working with the Counseling Center is crucial to create the most valuable healing experience for students.

“While I may not be a licensed clinical health professional, being able to allow their clinical experience and my innovation and creativity to come together to birth a transformative healing space for students is integral to their overall well being and a huge part, I think, to the future of the Wolfpack,” Elum said.

Elum seeks to reduce the stigma behind seeking mental health resources and encourages students to attend the Healing with Purpose events.

“It’s okay to not be okay,” Elum said. “It’s okay to not have it all figGRAPHIC BY EZEKIEL SNYDER ured out. It’s okay if you need help and you need to talk to someone. connect with other students and build a We have very amazing trained professionals sense of community.

“Having open, honest conversations here on this campus who want to support where mental health is encouraged, light is your holistic well-being.” shedding on these spaces, is super important for students,” Elum said.

The next Healing with Purpose event Foard said in addition to seeking help is March 1 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in from on-campus resources such as the Talley Student Union room 5210.

Counseling Center, engaging with others is a practice that can improve student men-

News

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They wouldn’t steal a car, but they do pirate on University networks AHOY, MATEY! A BREAKDOWN ON HOW NC STATE MONITORS AND TACKLES COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

Caryl Espinoza Jaen Managing Editor

University staff from the Office of Information Technology said online piracy reports spiked in the last year, but it doesn’t mean the pandemic moving students online in 2020 made everyone an expert on illegally downloading content.

According to Sarah Ward, a security incident response analyst at OIT, the University received 2,278 copyright violation reports between 2018 and 2021.

Last year was the largest amount of reports received, with OIT receiving 789 reports; by contrast, OIT only dealt with 388 reports in 2020 and 356 reports in 2018, with 2019 also having a spike of 745 reports.

Ward, however, said it is too soon to say if the COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in piracy on campus because in 2020, many students went home and multiple reports can be directed at a singular user.

“In [2019], we had one violator who had generated a little bit over 200 reports, so that kinda tells you how many reports can actually be generated for one event or one user who’s, let’s say, maybe downloading multiple things illegally like music or something of that nature,” Ward said. “In 2020, you saw a drop back down to 388, and a lot of students weren’t on campus during that time.”

According to OIT’s Higher Education Opportunity Act compliance plan, the University has a DMCA email address to receive copyright infringement complaints. Once a complaint is sent, a ticket is automatically generated by OIT’s incident management system for staff to begin investigating.

Ward said it is not always possible to identify the person involved in the copyright infringement complaint if OIT is not able to verify or trace back certain information about the infringer or if the copyright violation complaint does not match up with the network traffic logs OIT has.

“In the cases that we are able to trace it back to a user, which does happen, we then follow the appropriate process either going through employee relations for our employees or through Student Conduct for our students,” Ward said.

According to Ward, OIT has identified and reported 49 cases since 2018. Bradley Davis, associate director at the Office of Student Conduct, said through email that Student Conduct has responded to

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36 cases involving copyright allegations or complaints since 2017.

When dealing with students who’ve committed copyright violations on University networks, Davis said Student Conduct goes for an educational approach. According to Davis, Student Conduct aims to not just break down to students any disciplinary action from the University or potential sanctions from the copyright owner, but teach students of the downsides of piracy. Davis said he believes there are some students who are not aware of its harmfulness.

“Most of the time, [students] are forthcoming in saying ‘Yes, you know, I downloaded this, my friend showed me how to download a video game, I was playing it and I stopped,’” Davis said.

“And so our approach is to say, ‘Okay, you can’t engage in this type of behav-

ior on the University’s network, this is where legal ramifications could come in, and if this particular company wants to pursue that, you know, we would need you to either remove the content from your devices, and then to not engage in this type of behavior on the network.’”

According to Davis, both repeated offenders and actual litigation from companies filing copyright infringement notices are rare — since his time at NC State, Davis said he hasn’t heard of any student facing financial litigation from a copyright infringement case — but that does not mean that it does not happen. In last year’s illegal peer-to-peer file sharing annual notice, Chancellor Randy Woodson mentioned an incident where a former Boston University graduate student was required to pay $675,000 for illegally downloading and sharing 30

music files online.

“I’ve done conduct work for a number of years even before I got here to NC State, and I had to deal with this similar issue and other places I’ve been at,” Davis said. “I can’t think of a time where these companies actually did sue a student. They could have, and we may not be privy to it, but I would say it’s pretty much a rarity.”

For more information on the University’s policies against copyright infringement, visit OIT’s FAQs for peer-to-peer transfers and copyright protections. If a student is facing legal or financial consequences due to pirating content, Davis said Legal Services can offer legal assistance and advice.

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Conflict in Ukraine has little to no effect on study abroad programs

Heidi Reid Staff Writer

Study abroad programs in Prague and other areas near Ukraine are continuing as planned despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Although there are no programs located in the area of conflict, programs in Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic are common locations for students to study abroad.

According to Kim Priebe, the director of the Study Abroad Office, no cancellations of study abroad trips have been made so far.

“At this time, our programs are continuing for spring and many have already been approved to proceed for summer,” Priebe said.

“There is a chance that one or two programs may have to be canceled, but those decisions or announcements have not yet been made.”

According to Priebe, the Study Abroad Office coordinates an emergency response team who is in regular communication with students abroad. In the event of greater escalation of conflict in locations close to students, cancellations would be made and students would be sent home.

“The U.S. State Department would issue instructions to U.S. citizens abroad in the impacted areas,” Priebe said. “And if certain circumstances got to that point, and they would issue notifications for it, for example,

‘U.S. citizens should depart X location.’ We’re in regular communication with students who are abroad, and we utilize a mobile app to be able to communicate urgent messages to students, where they can also ping us and check in on emergency situations.”

Kimberly Strozewski, the director of the NC State European Center in Prague, is currently in Austria with a group of students from Prague. According to Strozewski, little has changed in both Austria and the Czech Republic.

“It feels more normal because we’re pretty far west of the conflict right now, like the part of Austria near the German-Swiss-Italian border,” Strozewski said. “But back in Prague, where we are normally based, there are some refugees. I don’t think there’s as many as there are in Romania and Hungary, but they’re starting to come.”

According to Strozewski, she plans to have a discussion with her students when they travel back to Prague, which is closer to the conflict. She plans to bring in a political science professor to make sure those abroad have a full understanding of the conflict and situation at hand. Students always have the option to return home if they are not comfortable. “[The students] don’t seem very concerned,” Strozewski said. “They’re still trav-

COURTESY OF NC STATE EUROPEAN CENTER

eling everywhere on the weekends. There’s no security risk, because the Czech Republic is part of the EU, it’s part of NATO. The biggest thing will be if refugees come in.”

According to Strozewski, aside from an increase in refugees, the only other noticeable change is a rise of anti-Russian feelings in Europe. Despite this, Strozewski doesn’t believe these tensions will grow to the point

of violence.

“They seemed to embrace the refugees coming, but there’s a lot of Russians in Prague,” Strozewski said. “So we’ll watch that situation. I’m not sure if those Russians are going to leave or if they’re going to stay.

But there’s a little bit of a rise in anti-Russian sentiment because of what’s going on, which is probably not just in the Czech Republic.”

Citizen Science Club promotes research through community service

Mai Listokin

Britney Paul Rajamanickam, a fourth-year studying biology and president of the Citizen Students in the Citizen Science Club ad- Science Club, said being in the club is about vocate for science research through acts of helping your community as a scientist.

“It doesn’t matter if you are an English community service on campus and in the major or a business major, it’s about learncommunity. ing how to be a scientist and participating in adva ncing scientific knowledge a nd helping your community out,” Paul Rajamanickam said.

NC State is categorized as a pioneer Cit izen Science Campus, where innovaCOURTESY OF BRITNEY PAUL RAJAMANICKAM tion meets enCorrespondent

hanced research as undergraduate students advocate for scientific research as an interdisciplinary endeavor. Through frequent communication with faculty and researchers on campus, as well as the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, the group promotes participation in citizen science projects, service and volunteering.

“There are a lot of researchers using citizen science,” Paul Rajamanickam said. “So, through our club, we give people an opportunity to talk to these researchers.”

The club focuses on serving not only the NC State campus but the wider Raleigh community. Through professional development and training, students gain the skills to provide effective service to the public. Darlene Villarroel-Lopez, a second-year studying microbiology and secretary of Citizen Science Club, used the group’s ongoing collaboration with the Wake County Public School system as an example.

“We help children get involved in the citizen science projects and teach them how to

be a scientist, and how to think critically about the issues happening in our community,” Villaroel-Lopez said.

One of the club’s recent important projects intertwined environmental safety with social justice elements. Titled “Crowd the Tap,” volunteers tested tap water pipes to determine their lead content. The club joined the project’s mission to ensure safe drinking water for neighboring communities in need by focusing on tap testing and infrastructure replacement.

“We discuss the social justice surrounding that issue with some people in poorer socioeconomic areas, how lead pipes can leach into water,” Paul Rajamanickam said.

Villaroel-Lopez said the Citizen Science Club has been a great experience.

“On a personal level, I find the Citizen Club very welcoming to new and existing members,” Villaroel-Lopez said. “I felt right at home, so much that I have decided to get even more involved and become the club’s secretary.”

Opinion

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NC State’s focus on STEM majors neglects other degree programs NC State’s announcement of a $50 million expansion to the College of Engineering has largely been seen as a positive step for the University. While this investment offers Anu valuable resources to the Mishra school, it comes at a time Correspondent where many other degree programs are seeing an extreme lack of resources and classroom spaces. This decision is largely reflective of the culture created within the University of supporting science, technology, engineering and math majors and neglecting other colleges.

My PS 362: American Political Thought class has over 40 students. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we are crammed into a small classroom in the basement of Caldwell Hall sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder with other students. Our professor specifically requested to be moved to a larger classroom to accommodate students but was denied one by the University. Dozens of students on the waitlist were unable to get into the course and our classroom is now full to the brim.

Brodie Smith, a third-year studying political science, said small class sizes inhibit students’ abilities to take classes essential to their majors.

“These classes with limited seats, especially in CHASS, which are required for our degree make it harder for us to take courses that we need to graduate,” Smith said. “With only a few sections of courses that students from multiple majors try getting into, we end up falling behind because we can’t get into the classes we need to complete our degree.”

Smaller class sizes force students to take classes they may not want or aren’t helpful

to their degree audits. This not only puts them behind in their classes but also forces students to pay for classes they don’t necessarily want to take. On many occasions throughout my two years at NC State, I have had to rearrange my schedule and four-year plan simply because class sizes are not big enough to accommodate all students.

The lack of investment in other degree programs also affects many STEM majors who are pursuing non-industry jobs. Sarah Coull, a fourth-year studying environmental engineering, explains how this lack of resources has affected her time at NC State.

“As an engineering major looking to go into environmental policy and government work, I feel isolated because they [NC State] emphasize industry so much and don’t provide resources to students who aren’t necessarily looking to go into industry,” Coull said. “It further insinuates that these fields are better than others when in reality, interdisciplinary work is the future.”

Many students who major in engineering or STEM-related degrees aren’t necessarily looking to work directly in the industry.

There are a plethora of jobs that incorporate the various disciplines and principles offered at the University. There is a stunning lack of opportunities and resources available to such people, which isolates entire groups of students who are in need of opportunities.

According to the NCSU FY 2021-2022 Budget, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences spent $90 million in extramural contracts and grant expenditures and the College of Engineering received $95 million. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences spent only $6 million and the Poole College of Management spent only $2 million. It’s undeniable that there is an extreme lack of resources in colleges that aren’t cor-

related to STEM. There are many ways for NC State to pursue changes. Upgrading buildings on main campus and increasing classroom sizes is a good start. In addition to this, the University should encourage more unique and non-STEM/tech companies to advertise to our student body.

Engineering has dozens of career fairs and is given the opportunity to network with major companies while other programs aren’t offered such opportunities. CHASS has offered its students career fairs, with the most recent one being this coming Friday, March 4. However, these career fairs often only showcase local and smaller companies in comparison to the major fairs held for the

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Pearl Knight, staff cartoonist third-year studying art and design

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College of Engineering. While this is still valuable experience, the opportunities they bring don’t quite compare to those brought by the College of Engineering.

With over 100 majors offered here, barely any get the amount of attention engineering and STEM majors do. The University’s culture of supporting STEM students and neglecting others is deeply bred into its institutions. These differences have manifested themselves in the availability of resources and opportunities for non-STEM students across the University. There is more to our school than just engineering and it’s time for NC State to acknowledge the need of all their students — not just STEM.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

Spring Disconnect: NC State’s attempt to admit growing number of applicants falls short

As a current first-year Spring Connect student, I imagined my first year of college going very differently. I applied to 11 schools and chose the one that offered me what Sadie would, unfortunately, beCarlyle come the most disappointCorrespondent ing semester of my life.

I was offered my acceptance into NC State through the Spring Connect program. I believe the letter read something akin to “Dear Qualified Applicant, due to the significant lack of housing on our campus, we cannot accept you in the fall. However, we are pleased to offer you spring admission!

Maybe spend your first semester of college in our study abroad program! Other than that, maybe go somewhere else. ... See you in January!”

It was disheartening to know that it was not the contents of my application that denied me of a conventional fall semester, but it was because my application sat at the bottom of the review stack. I later called admissions, hoping that space in the fall would open up, but I was informed that waitlisted

students would be prioritized over Spring Connect for fall acceptance. To this day, I cannot think up a plausible reason for that.

I was under the impression that Spring Connect students would attend fall events like a real student; after all, I already had a student identification number. It did not seem so bad until my friends were able to attend welcome events, student sections at sporting events, and have a real “college experience” — the one admissions robbed me of. I did not get to play my fall sport, rush a sorority, collect obscene amounts of free shirt, or take a picture in the shape of a 25.

Nobody told me beforehand. It seems silly, I know, but I never knew how much it would mean to me until I did not get to do it.

It wasn’t all regrettable. I used that “empty” semester to earn my associate’s degree; maybe that made me a stronger student.

But I crawled with indignation as I passed various uninhabited rooms when I visited dorms. I cannot blame NC State for an uninformed decision I made, but I can blame it for putting me in the position to make it.

My advice to future applicants admitted as Spring Connect: consider how much you value your freshman year college experience

and decline the offer. However, if you find yourself still dreaming of the Wolfpack, perhaps you should move to the fall waitlist or work towards getting your associate’s degree from a community college. No matter what you decide, know it was not the contents of your application nor the timing of your application submission that put you in such a difficult position.

My advice to the NC State office of admissions: allow Spring Connect students to attend fall welcome events, utilize the gym and library. Better yet, get rid of the “program” that pushes qualified, dedicated students aside until you have room for them.

What makes a student fit for the Spring Connect program versus another student solely based on when they submitted their application? It is the student’s decision to apply early or regular decisions. My application was turned in on time under a regular decision. Though it may benefit a student to apply for an early decision, you should not penalize a student for applying for a regular decision.

Though I can appreciate NC State’s attempt to accommodate such a grandiose number of applicants, there are additional

ways the college should strive to accommodate students and abolish the need for an overflow program.

There were only 273 students placed into Spring Connect in 2021, many of whom could have been placed in housing on campus by allowing first-year students to live at home if they desire and reside close by.

Perhaps put forth requests for the finances to build additional housing and dining and become more selective in the application selection process. There is no easy fix, but NC State cannot accommodate a growing number of applicants by putting “leftover” students on reserve until January.

I acknowledge that if NC State had been more selective in its application process last year, I may not have been accepted. Maybe I am lucky to attend this university, but I would rather have been denied from NC State than denied a conventional experience. As proud as I am to be a member of the Wolfpack, I could have been just as proud at another university in the fall, one that was better prepared to accommodate its applicants.

Day of Giving is back on March 23.

A day for the Pack to show up, show out and make a difference.

Join us from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a special Day of Giving student event at Stafford Commons.

• • • •

Games Food Swag A chance to earn bonus funds for your favorite unit

Go to dayofgiving.ncsu.edu to learn more about how you can get involved.

Culture

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Poet Ina Cariño explores ancestry in diasporas Jameson Wolf Staff Writer

Ina Cariño’s poetry strikes a delicate balance between personal and unique experiences and the shared struggle of minorities in a predominantly white culture. Though still in the early years of their writing career, Cariño has not only developed a distinct poetic voice but also grown into a distinct sense of self through embracing their writing.

Since earning their master’s in creative writing from NC State in 2019, Cariño has had poetry published in numerous literary journals, been named a Kundiman Fellow and won the 2021 Alice James Award for their manuscript “Feast” which examines the importance of intergenerational nourishment, particularly with regards to matrilineal bloodlines.

Cariño said much of their initial draw toward writing came from their mother, who is also a poet and writer.

“My mom would often tell me and my sisters folk tales and read us poems,” Cariño said. “We were really encouraged to read widely and often and so, in time, I was drawn to writing because of my love for literature in general.”

Through their poetry, Cariño addresses the rippling effects of identity, origin and family, particularly as they relate to immigrants’ experiences in the United States.

Cariño moved to the United States from the Philippines when they were 10 years old and now uses their poetry to explore how to balance the complex identities that come with immigration while learning about and connecting with their roots.

“My purpose is not just to write for other people but also for myself,” Cariño said.

“And I don’t mean in a way that is therapeutic. I want to learn more about the world through myself and vice versa. How can my history and my ancestry inform my work, and how can I, in turn, inform perception of my work through craft and through writing about these things?”

To this end, Cariño’s work looks at the ideas of ownership and belonging, examining both through the lens of their own

COURTESY OF SASS ART

ancestry.

“I’m interested in naming and claiming,” Cariño said. “My last name, Cariño, is a Spanish word. It means darling or sweetie.

It’s a term of endearment. And it’s also a sign of being under Spanish colonial rule

for so many hundreds of years.”

Cariño is a descendant of Mateo Cariño, a Ibaloi chieftain best known for being part of a case establishing the precedent of native title in the U.S. Supreme Court, which gives Indigenous people ownership

of Indigenous land if they prove they have lived there for a certain amount of time.

“If you look at the root of that argument, you’re basically saying Indigenous people can live here because they’ve lived here,” Cariño said. “Which is not only redundant, it’s also a very narrow ruling. I think that it reeks of imperialism.”

Cariño takes research and stories of their lineage and weaves them together with personal experience of intolerance and bias to create graceful and honest images of existing in a place that considers you as “other.”

“I write about the small microaggressions because collectively, they paint a bigger picture of what it’s like to be in this country as an immigrant,” Cariño said.

Beyond their writing, Cariño believes creating community is vital to stability and success. They are the founder of Indigena Collective, which is a reading series specifically geared towards providing a platform to marginalized voices. Cariño founded the collective when they noticed a lack of community surrounding marginalized artists in the Raleigh area.

“I welcome both established and emerging writers,” Cariño said. “One of the goals that I had in mind with this is to not gatekeep depending on someone’s skill level or their education. I don’t want to be elitist in any way because that’s not the point of it.

The point of this is to give these voices a dedicated space carved out just for them.”

Cariño’s work both through their writing and with the reading series is an opportunity for conversation and new perspectives. They feel that the process of reading and contemplating a poem is more important than any theme that their poems could hold as an entity of their own.

“Even if you don’t convince the reader in the end, it’s still a conversation,” Cariño said. “Poetry is a conversation to me. If you have your poem in a book or online published somewhere, the cool thing about it is that someone else can pick up that book and read it, and you might not know what they’re saying, but their thoughts are a conversation with that work.”

Celebrate Women’s HERstory month with events from the Women’s Center Sam Overton Culture Editor

For all of March, the Women’s Center will host a series of events to celebrate “Women’s HERstory Month” on campus.

From engaging conversations to trivia

and workshops, it’s worth heading to Talley this month for the chance to connect with your peers.

International Women’s Day Celebration March 8, 1:30 p.m., Talley Student Union In conjunction with Women’s HERstory Month and International Women’s Day,

the Women’s Center celebrates its 30th anniversary with a Jeopardy!-style game in Talley. No matter if you’re coming alone or with friends, all attendees will receive International Women’s Day prizes and the winning team members will get a bonus reward.

WomenNC Interest Meeting March 8, 7 p.m., virtual To learn more about WomenNC scholars, a dynamic group of students dedicated to researching the status of women in North Carolina, check out this virtual meeting hosted by former NC State WomenNC

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scholars. They’ll talk about the aims of the program and how students can get involved, as well as their experiences with the program.

Supporting Survivors of Color 201 March 9, 6 p.m., Talley Student Union In this brand-new workshop from the Women’s Center, participants will learn more about and discuss interpersonal violence for people of color in a historical and intersectional context. Hosted by the Movement Peer Educators, students who join in on the conversation will have the opportunity to learn how to support survivors of color.

My Body My Rhythm March 21, 6 p.m., Talley Student Union Students can kick back and relax with a celebration of body positivity and creativity from the Women’s Center. Participants will read “My Body is Cool,” a dynamic children’s book, then create a poem based on the story’s content. Bring a couple of friends along for a chill activity that’ll get your creative juices flowing.

Confidence is Your Superpower Workshop March 23, 5:30 p.m., WellRec Center The Women’s Center and the Career Development Center will be teaming up to bring out the confidence in everybody at this interactive workshop. By employing role-playing, story-telling and community-building activities, attendees will have the opportunity to learn to use their con-

g n i t a r b e l e C

fidence in a way they’ve never considered before. Snacks will be provided, so join your peers at WellRec for an evening of confidence boosters.

WISE Wednesday: Girl on Fire Trivia March 23, 7 p.m., Bragaw Residence Hall If you’re in the mood for some trivia, check out Women’s HERstory Trivia Night at Bragaw later this month. Bring some friends over for a chance to win prizes and participate in giveaways.

I’m Every Woman: Interactive Storytelling Workshop March 25, 2:30 p.m., Talley Student Union In a workshop led by Amelia Lumpkin, theatre practitioner and storyteller, attendees will be able to explore storytelling through the creative mediums of poetry, painting or collage. This workshop will allow students, staff and faculty to open up comfortably in a safe space.

Our Stories Matter: Redefining HERstory and Empowerment March 30, 5;30 p.m., D.H. Hill Jr. Library The final event hosted by the Women’s Center for Women’s HERstory Month is the grand opening of “Our Stories Matter: Redefining HERstory and the Meaning of Empowerment Through the Times.” The exhibit, which will be on display through July 31, will feature a number of physical and digital artifacts that honor the past, present and future of the Women’s Center.

GRAPHIC BY KYLE HOWE

CHANCELLOR’S CREATING COMMUNITY AWARDS

HERStory

at

NC State Join us as we celebrate Women’s HERstory Month the entire month of March! For programs and details, please visit go.ncsu.edu/WHM

Recognizing Excellence in Diversit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nominate by March 7 at GO.NCSU.EDU/CCCA

10 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

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TECHNICIAN 11 Culture ‘A Story of One’s Own’ live film screening sheds light on unnoticed issues of adoption TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

Caleb Jolley Staff Writer

On Saturday, Feb. 19, Witherspoon Campus Cinema hosted a live showing of “Une Historie À Soi,” or “A Story of One’s Own,” the latest film from French filmmaker and Afrofeminist Amandine Gay. Exploring the innate human desire to understand oneself through the lens of adoption, the archival film shares the experiences of various transnational and transracial adoptees, shedding light on topics of race, family and identity.

Through interviews, photos, videos and other archives, the film shares the stories of five different adoptees from South Korea, Brazil, Rwanda, Australia and Sri Lanka, all living and growing up in France. Viewers witness a very intimate presentation of the subjects’ lives, including the privileges and struggles of growing up in an adopted family.

Following the screening, Gay, along with her co-producer and editor Enrico Bartolucci, participated in a Q&A session with attendees. With questions pertaining to research leading up to the film, methods of filmmaking and personal experiences with adoption, audience members delved even deeper into issues in the film and how they were presented.

As a transracial adoptee herself, Gay expressed why she wanted to create a film about transnational and transracial adoption.

“A Story of One’s Own” expressed the difficulties of growing up as a different race in a white family.

“There’s a lot of the political issues that do interact with adoption in general, or transracial adoption in France,” Gay said.

“You have global north versus global south

MOLLIE MITCHELL/TECHNICIAN

NC State’s on-campus cinema is located in the Witherspoon Student Center. The campus cinema provides free movies and popcorn to students every Friday.

inequalities, you do have race inside of this prospect, you have class, you know, you have imperialism, like where are those people are being taken from, etc. So I thought that was a good first step to bring adoption’s political issues in the public space.”

“A Story of One’s Own” expressed the difficulties of growing up as a different race in a white family. Despite being loved and welcomed in their own families, adoptees struggled to belong to society, feeling white on the inside but not on the outside.

Many adoptees also grew up believing the “savior” myth — that adoption saved them from a terrible situation, even if this was not the case. While the savior narrative was never explicitly taught to the adoptees, they came to believe it through media influences and other stigmas. For fear of appearing ungrateful or being rejected, they never discussed it with their families and felt timid bringing up their origins.

As the adoptees grew up, they desired to know both who and where they were from; something that families and adoption agencies handled very differently on a case by case basis. Some people received support in finding their origins. Others did not.

One of the adoptees in the film, Matheus, visited his biological mother and relatives in Brazil and now has what he calls two families.

“I began to adopt my adoptive family when they began to seek out my biological family,” said Matheus. “Now the adoption is complete.”

Others had more difficulty finding the truth about their past. One girl, upon approaching the adoption agency, was refused information about her mother and later found out that her biological father hadn’t known about her birth until she was 21.

From the five different stories, viewers catch a glimpse of how complicated adoption can be, and how much it varies from case to case.

“I hope there’s gonna be a greater understanding first of adoption,” Gay said.

“I think that, you know, quite a few people know adoptees, but people are sometimes insensitive of their comments just because they don’t realize how complex it is. … Some comments are like, ‘Oh where is your real family,” for instance. People often ask us that, and I think if those comments stop, that’s already a good thing.”

Among some audience members, Gay’s film appeared to have already made such an influcence.

“I thought it was really interesting,” said Natalie Hackman, a fourth-year studying civil engineering. “It definitely made me see adoption from a new perspective, the perspective of the adoptee, … and how important it is that they are not necessarily connected with their biological parents, but with their culture that they left behind when they’re adopted in another country.”

Many topics in the film even reached beyond adoption to issues non-adoptees can personally relate to.

“In a broader sense, that’s also why I said the subject [of the film] is universal,” said Gay. “I think that, you know, wondering about what constitutes a family, is family only blood, what does secrecy and opacity do to a family? … [I] have mixed race people coming to see me and say, you know, ‘I’m not adopted, but I feel like, what you’re sharing about adoption is really close to my experience’ ... So I think that in this way [it is important] to both realize that there are specific issues on adoption, but also maybe people who are not adopted are far less different to [adoptees] than they think.”

Culture

12 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

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March Like Martin closes Black History Month with a call to action Jameson Wolf Staff Writer

On Friday, Feb. 25, students, staff and community members gathered on Stafford Commons behind Talley Student Union for the first annual March like Martin event.

The crowd brought handmade signs, banners and flags, which they displayed and waved as they marched past Tucker/Owen Beach to Harris Field outside Witherspoon Student Center where Rev. Primas Paige gave a keynote address.

The march was planned by the African American Cultural Center (AACC) alongside the Eta Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., NC State’s oldest Black fraternity. The march commemorated Martin Luther King Jr’s practice of peaceful protest and served to close out NC State’s Black History Month events with a reminder that change is made through continuous action.

As the crowd of over 100 people marched through campus, they chanted “No justice, no peace,” “Power to the people” and “Money for schools, not police.”

Alvin Mutongi, a fourth-year studying civil engineering and member of Eta Omicron, helped to plan the march and spoke on Harris Field about the strength of collective protest.

“Today, March like Martin has shown the entire NC State community, the state of North Carolina, and the world that we are stronger together,” Mutongi said. “And when we stand together, we can fight alongside each other for the liberation of all people, and our liberation is worth marching for. These sentiments are rooted in King’s legacy, and we stand here today as products of his radical dream.”

Alongside Mutongi, Cameron Williams, a fourth-year studying chemical engineering and current president of Eta Omicron, and AACC program coordinator Isaiah Lucas gave brief statements on the importance of the event and of King’s legacy before introducing the keynote speaker Paige.

Paige expanded the AACC’s 2022 Black

JERMAINE HUDSON/TECHNICIAN

Members of the NC State’s NAACP participate in the March like Martin event across campus on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. The African American Cultural Center hosted the event to wrap up Black History Month.

History Month theme “The Freedom to Dream” into a crash course: “Managing a Massive Dream (MMD 101),” Paige reminded attendees that just like lectures mean nothing without the lab, intention means nothing without action. His speech was a lesson in initiative, humility and motivation, inspiring the importance of mentorship, collaboration and service along the road to realizing your dream.

“Though we desire to dream and march like Martin, though we desire to have hope like Obama and the strength of Vice President Harris, the reality is that it’s our time,” Paige said. “Great-grandma has passed away. Granddaddy has retired.

Mama and Daddy are at work and they are tired. Dr. Witherspoon, who struggled to

FEON MAK/TECHNICIAN

A graffiti painting outside the Free Expression Tunnel on Monday, Jan. 16, 2011 depicting Martin Luther King Jr. as well as his famous speech, “I have a dream.”

be the first Black man to graduate with a doctorate at this university, struggled to see his dream. But the reality is, now it’s your time.”

By the close of his address Rev. Paige had inspired the entire crowd to join him in proclamations of “I’m not perfect” and “It’s my time.”

The crowd that ended outside Witherspoon was composed largely of NC State students along with several community members and students from nearby Shaw University who came to support the march.

“I feel it’s important to have a voice on a campus where we are not the predominant race,” said Carrington Mack, a third-year studying sociology at NC State. “It’s very important for us to be out here today.”

C.J. Walker, a fourth-year studying industrial engineering, was happy to be back in a collective space, creating community.

“I think it’s a great way to wrap up Black History Month and bring everyone together,” Walker said. “Especially after the pandemic, now that we’re finally able to be together we can be around each other to celebrate what it means to be Black and to be there for the students on the campus.”

Friday afternoon’s march to wrap up the last full week of Black History Month left an atmosphere not only of dreams, but of motivation and dedication to making those dreams actionable.

Now that we’re finally able to be together we can be around each other to celebrate what it means to be Black and to be there for the students on the campus.

— C.J. Walker

Sports

TECHNICIAN 13

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

For the love of the game: Emily Petersen blazes trail for NC State women’s hockey Bryan Pyrtle

Assistant Sports Editor

Emily Petersen didn’t come to NC State to start a women’s club hockey team.

Before the NC State women’s club hockey team played the inaugural Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League women’s game, before the Pack won its first-ever WACCHL title, the senior forward was a freshman at NC State with “no intentions” of starting a women’s hockey program from scratch.

Despite around 13 years of hockey experience, Petersen was simply playing out her last season of youth hockey with the Carolina Eagles before starting a collegiate team came on her radar. The ball got rolling when former Icepack head coach Mike Gazzillo made a guest appearance at an Eagles practice around Christmas in Petersen’s freshman year. That day, Petersen and Gazzillo laid the foundation of what would become the NC State women’s club hockey team. “[Gazzillo] was guest-coaching that practice,” Petersen said. “Someone’s dad was like, ‘Hey, he’s the men’s coach. You got to go talk to him.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’

I got on the ice and the dad was still watching me to make sure I talked to Mike. So I said to Mike, ‘Hey, I’m Emily, I go to State.’

He’s like, ‘I want to talk to you about starting a women’s team. I think there’s enough interest.’”

As it turns out, Gazzillo was right. Senior goaltender Veronica Heyl was playing with the Eagles as well at the time, and six players turned out for the Wolfpack’s first practice. Even though only three of them had any previous hockey experience, Petersen continued to help develop the program with help from the Icepack.

The Pack continued to grow off the ice

COURTESY OF NC STATE WOMEN’S CLUB HOCKEY

as well as on the ice. NC State reached the WACCHL championship game in 2021, but fell 9-7 to the Virginia Tech Hokies. A year later, Petersen closed out her collegiate hockey career with a bang. The Wolfpack rode a Petersen hat trick to beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 6-4 and win its first conference championship.

To go from a quick conversation between a guest coach and a freshman to now sitting atop the league, Petersen has certainly built a legacy for women’s hockey at NC State.

“To go from sharing practices to having a

full program and being a program to where the little girls will come out to the games and be like ‘Oh, that’s so cool,’” Petersen said. “Or someone will be like, ‘My daughter wants to play for State.’ It’s been so cool because those opportunities weren’t there.

When I was a freshman here, these opportunities weren’t here, so that’s been really cool to see.”

Head coach Jessie “Boston” Harrington was another big difference-maker for the program, eventually finding her way to the Pack before that championship sea-

son. Even though she was a late-comer to the team, Harrington’s brought nearly 30 years of experience in women’s hockey to the table.

“I’ve only been with the program since about the middle of October,” Harrington said. “I had been part of the Canes girls program. ... That is actually how I met Emily and Heyl. All three of us were coaching through that program since about September.”

In a sequence of events that reads like a cheesy movie script, the players essentially pestered Harrington into taking the helm.

Even though Harrington eventually caved and accepted the head coaching role, that was just the beginning of her adjustment to working with college students.

“One of the things that I think I took for granted … was that there’s a lot of things that I take as second nature,” Harrington said. “There’s a lot of things that I instinctively do on the ice that I feel like, ‘Well, what do you mean, you don’t know?’ And that’s been the biggest learning curve.”

Though Petersen is at the end of her college hockey career, the program she helped start has a ton of momentum going forward.

From its grassroots nature to its meteoric rise, the NC State women’s club hockey team’s culture of commitment and effort sets it up for success for years to come.

“If you see what Emily has started with that program, from a grassroots effort … to where it is now, [it’s] strictly just to play the game,” Harrington said. “It’s been fun; it’s been an interesting change to give back.

I look at these girls that learn to play now and I say, ‘10 years from now, it’d be pretty neat if you’ve got a pretty good backyard program and a fantastic university.’”

Wes Moore wins ACC Coach of the Year, other Wolfpack women’s basketball players honored Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

NC State women’s basketball head coach Wes Moore was named the ACC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year on Tuesday, March 1 by the Blue Ribbon Panel and head coaches around the league.

Moore’s Wolfpack finished the regular season with a 26-3 overall record, as well as a 17-1 ACC record. NC State finished the year as just one of two teams that went undefeated at home, going 9-0, and it has won its last 17 ACC home games. In addition,

Moore was one of three coaches named to the 2022 Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List.

Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey were second (73 votes) and third (70), respectively, in voting behind Moore’s 150 points in the Blue Ribbon Panel.

Moore wasn’t the only member of the women’s basketball team to earn ACC honors. For the Blue Ribbon Panel, senior center Elissa Cunane came in second place in ACC Player of the Year voting with 861 points, one spot behind her childhood best

friend Elizabeth Kitley.

Though she didn’t earn Player of the Year honors, Cunane was selected to the Blue Ribbon Panel’s All-ACC First Team.

Cunane averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season, shooting 52.5% from the floor and 43.5% from deep on 23 total attempts.

Sophomore guard Diamond Johnson and graduate forward Kayla Jones were honorable mentions for the All-ACC Teams by the Blue Ribbon Panel.

Jones finished the year averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds on a 54/42.4/77.4

shooting split. It’s a strong return to form for the forward who began the year coming off the bench as she recovered from an injury.

As for the 2021-22 Head Coaches Awards, Johnson was picked as the Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and shooting 36.1% from downtown.

For the second straight year, NC State rostered a Co-Sixth Player of the Year, with junior forward Jada Boyd coming away

MOORE continued page 15

Sports 14 TECHNICIAN Pack women’s basketball aims for ACC Tournament three-peat against tough field THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

For the first time in 32 years, the No. 2 NC State women’s basketball team is the ACC regular-season champion.

After having accomplished one of its three goals laid out by graduate forward Kayla Jones after the title-clinching win over Syracuse, the Wolfpack’s eyes are set on the ACC Tournament, which will take place from Wednesday, March 2 to Sunday, March 6. NC State plays its first game on Friday, March 4 at 2 p.m.

Looking at the tournament itself, NC State will be a No. 1 seed for the sixth time in school history, followed by the second-seeded Louisville Cardinals, third-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish and fourth-seeded UNC Tar Heels.

The Wolfpack’s first opponent will be the winner of Thursday’s Boston College/Florida State game. Of the two, Florida State is the much more favorable opponent, with the Wolfpack knocking off the Seminoles by 20 points at home in early February.

In that game, the Pack got out to a dominant first quarter and despite scoring just nine points in the second quarter, was propelled by a scorching 47.8% clip from deep to put the finishing touches on the blowout.

However, Boston College is the early favorite in that game, being the No. 8 seed compared to Florida State’s No. 9 standing.

The Wolfpack fared much worse against the Eagles, going to overtime in mid-February after falling behind 13-2 early.

After having accomplished one of its three goals laid out by graduate forward Kayla Jones after the title-clinching win over Syracuse, the Wolfpack’s eyes are set on the ACC Tournament.

Boston College guard Cameron Swartz went off in that game, scoring 24 points on 10 of 19 shooting and hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.

The Eagles also got a strong performance from Taylor Soule, who contributed a double-

AMITA MALUR/TECHNICIAN

Senior center Elissa Cunane celebrates winning the regular season ACC title with her teammates after the Senior Day game against Syracuse on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022 at Reynolds Coliseum. NC State beat Syracuse 95-53.

double, notching 16 points and 10 boards.

It was sophomore guard Diamond Johnson who came to the rescue in that game, who had 22 points and eight rebounds. Jones had 17 points while graduate guards Kai Crutchfield and Raina Perez, along with senior center Elissa Cunane, had 37 points combined.

NC State last played Boston College and Florida State in the ACC Tournament two years ago en route to its first ACC Championship since 1991. The Wolfpack scored 153 points in those two wins combined, beating the Eagles in the semifinal and Florida State in the championship game.

If the Wolfpack is able to win that game, it will have four possible opponents for the semifinal game, which takes place at noon on Saturday, March 5: UNC, Virginia Tech, Syracuse or Clemson.

In the unlikely event No. 12-seeded Syracuse or No. 13-seeded Clemson is able to make it to the semifinal game, the Wolfpack should feel secure, considering its combined margin of victory of 69 points over those two teams this season.

However, UNC and Virginia Tech would both provide much more of a challenge. The Wolfpack did run North Carolina out of its “small gym” in early January, but the Tar Heels punched back in the rematch later in January.

In that game, the Wolfpack trailed by as

many as 12 points but went on a 21-2 run in the second half to go on to the eight-point victory. The Tar Heels cut the game to just five points late in the second half, but Crutchfield put up a clutch 3 in the last moments of the game, giving the Pack the win.

The Wolfpack also took on Virginia Tech twice in the regular season, winning narrowly both times. In the first game, Cunane and ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley put on a defensive clinic, shooting a combined 5 of 29 (17.2%) from the floor matched up against each other.

In the second game, the Pack’s season finale, the exact opposite happened. The two childhood friends from Summerfield, North Carolina, with the two shooting 15 of 23 (65.2%) from the floor combined. Watching those two play is always a treat for the Wolfpack faithful, with two of the best ACC products clashing in the paint and another great player contributing for the Hokies in Aisha Sheppard.

The two teams also have a history in the ACC Tournament in recent years. Last season, NC State took down Virginia Tech in its opening matchup, 68-55. That game saw 47 points combined from Cunane and Kitley.

If the Wolfpack proceeds to its third ACC Championship game in three seasons, which takes place on Sunday, March 6 at noon, its most likely opponents are No. 7-seeded Mia-

mi, No. 6 Georgia Tech, No. 3 Notre Dame or No. 2 Louisville.

All four teams would provide an adequate challenge for the Pack. The Wolfpack beat Miami by 12 on the road earlier this season, but the Hurricanes always seem to pose a threat for the Wolfpack. NC State also dispatched Georgia Tech in the Play4Kay game this season, blowing the Yellow Jackets out.

The Wolfpack beat Georgia Tech in each of the last two ACC Tournaments.

However, Notre Dame and Louisville are likelier opponents in a potential championship matchup. The Fighting Irish handed the Wolfpack its only ACC loss this season, with the Pack shooting just under 40% from the field and 25% from deep. Maya Dodson dominated in that game, putting up 20 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

The Wolfpack did come close to a great comeback in that game but fell just short.

Cunane only got five shots in that loss.

But if Notre Dame makes a semifinal game against Louisville, it will face a stiff test, seeing as Louisville beat Notre Dame 73-47 and then 86-64 in their two matchups this season. In the second game, Louisville led 48-6 at midway through the second quarter.

Despite what would pose as a daunting matchup in a potential championship game between Louisville and NC State, the Wolfpack did get the better of the Cardinals

Sports

TECHNICIAN 15

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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

The ‘Tommy Tanks’ show and other baseball takeaways Rachel Umbach Staff Writer

Another weekend at Doak Field at Dail Park has come and gone and the No. 8 NC State baseball team has continued its dominant start to this young season, most recently defeating High Point and Longwood in midweek matchups and sweeping Quinnipiac in its weekend second series of 2022.

Through eight games, the Pack still remains undefeated. Let’s take a look at what we can take away from this first batch of matchups this year.

It’s Tommy White’s world and we’re all just living in it It’s no secret that freshman first baseman Tommy White, better known as “Tommy Tanks,’’ has had an incredible start to his collegiate career, currently leading both the Pack9 and the NCAA in hits, RBIs and home runs. His accomplishments have earned him Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors for the second week in a row.

Adding four more homers to his stat sheet in the series against Quinnipiac, including another grand slam in the series opener, White has nine dingers on the year, and at one point this weekend was tied for sixth place in team home runs in the NCAA. Yes, you read that right, compared to other teams he’s top 10 in the country. The Wolfpack as a ball club currently sits tied for fourth place with 18 bombs through eight games.

As much as the attention he’s receiving mainly revolves around his “Tom Bombs,” White has done an excellent job of driving in runs anytime he’s up to the plate. Currently batting .588/.650/1.412, with just three strikeouts, White also leads the team in RBIs with 29, 18 more than sophomore infielder LuJames Groover III and sophomore outfielder Dominic Pilolli who are tied for second with 11 each.

Truly any pitcher’s nightmare at the moment, if White’s success continues at the rate it’s started at, you’ll be hearing a lot more about the freshman from St. Pete.

Impact of a veteran presence and transfers

in each of their last two matchups.

In the regular season, the Wolfpack had one of the wildest comebacks of the NCAA season, coming back from 16 points down and taking just over three minutes to take the lead against the Cardinals. NC State had a 31-point fourth quarter in the win behind heroics from Johnson and junior wing Jakia Brown-Turner.

NC State also took down Louisville in the ACC Championship game last season, going back-to-back. In that game, Perez hit one of the most clutch shots in school history, clinching the Wolfpack win.

Regardless of the route it takes, the Wolfpack will face a strenuous gauntlet of teams, kicking off play at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 4. That game can be viewed on Raleigh’s Regional Sports Network.

As impressive as White has been, much of NC State’s offensive success has been overshadowed by White’s accomplishments at the plate. In fact, there’s obviously no way White would have been able to accumulate all those RBIs if not for the fact that the rest of his teammates keep getting on base.

Through eight games, the Pack is outscoring opponents 112-34 thanks to a combination of success from veteran batters and transfers, and the team has an on-base percentage of .481.

In recent achievements, UNC-Charlotte transfer Groover III provided a clutch double to score two in the eighth and the walk-off hit the Wolfpack needed in the extra-innings matchup against Quinnipiac. He’s batting .459/.500/.703 to start the season with seven extra-base hits.

Redshirt junior infielder Josh Hood, who transferred in from Penn, got the offense started for the Pack9 in the comeback matchup against the Bobcats with his first bomb of the year, and there’s also Pilolli from

GRIFFIN BRYANT/TECHNICIAN

Freshman infielder Tommy White celebrates with players from the dugout during the Wolfpack’s home baseball game at Doak Field against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Feb. 26, 2022.

The Wolfpack won 12-10 in extra innings. White had one homerun on three hits against the Bobcats.

Senior infielder J.T. Jarrett actually leads the team, and is No. 7 in the NCAA, with a .591 batting average and fellow senior infielder/outfielder Devonte Brown sits in fourth on the team with an average of .361, accumulating eight and nine RBIs each and three homers combined.

There were also a lot of questions entering this year if NC State’s transfers would be able to fill the holes left behind in the offseason, but these newbies continue to prove again and again that they can be relied on.

Charlotte who’s slashing .346/.485/.692 with two homers of his own.

The success of these transfers along with the reliability of Jarrett and Brown has proven to be a key asset for the Pack9 in these first eight games and will be crucial for NC State moving forward.

Answering pitching questions Now that the Wolfpack has two weekend series and two midweek matchups under its belt, we can also get a better look at the pitching staff this season.

Sophomore righty Sam Highfill got the Friday night start against the Bobcats totaling seven strikeouts in four innings pitched, giving up two earned runs. He was lights out through the first three innings but gave up a couple of singles for two Quinnipiac runs in his last inning pitched in the fourth.

That evening we really got a look at the NC State bullpen who combined to pitch five innings with one earned run and seven strikeouts. Sophomore Garrett Payne pitched two innings for his first career win while senior Canaan Silver provided two innings of relief and sophomore Chris Villaman was completely dominant in the ninth.

Another young arm, sophomore righty Matt Willadsen struggled in the earlier Saturday matchup against Quinnipiac, giving up six earned runs and seven hits in just 3.2 innings. The bullpen wasn’t much more successful, combining for another four runs through the final 6.2 innings, though recording 11 strikeouts.

Veteran senior lefty David Harrison showed the most control all weekend though still giving up three earned runs in 5.2 innings while striking out six. Three more arms got a little work out of the bullpen that game, combining for just one earned run and three strikeouts in the final 1.1 innings of action.

Quinnipiac is clearly a team that can hit, and while the Wolfpack was able to pull out the sweep, it will be important to keep an eye on how this relatively young pitching staff fares with the other incredibly talented offenses in the ACC later this season.

Strong start at home One other important note is that all of the Pack9’s success this season has been in front of a home crowd in Raleigh.

NC State has its first taste of away action this coming Wednesday just south of campus at Campbell University before returning back to the state capital for another home weekend series, this time against Northeastern.

While no game is ever particularly easy, ACC action is almost upon us, which will prove to be even more of a testament as to just how successful this Wolfpack team can be.

MOORE

with the award last season.

Cunane made continued from page 13 t he A l l-ACC First Team for the coaches, while Jones made the All-ACC Second Team.

Rounding out the award-winning players for the Wolfpack, freshman guard Aziaha James was selected to the All-Freshman Team by both the Blue Ribbon Panel and the Head Coaches Awards. James finished the year averaging 4.2 points in just 9.9 minutes per game.

COURTESY OF NICK FAULKNER

Head coach Wes Moore signals to the team during the game against Towson. NC State took down Towson 100-52 in Reynolds Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021.

TOMMY TANKS See page 15